Can Blockbuster Stand up to Netflix Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Can Blockbuster Stand up to Netflix - Article Example These forces have mostly come from the competition provided by illegal downloads of movies in local markets and the pirated copies of films available in foreign markets but most importantly Blockbuster faces competition from a company called Netflix. Instead of using local distribution channels, Netflix uses an online storefront which means that they have reduced their distribution costs to a great extent. Netflix has used a technological solution to give itself the first mover advantage forcing Blockbuster to play the catch-up game (Epstein, 2006). Â  As the latest information available from Blockbuster, the company is venturing into online rentals for films and allowing the distribution of media material from online sources such as websites and even in-store kiosks to locate older films (Blockbuster, 2006). However, this may be a case of too little too late since Netflix is already offering their clients the same services. Blockbuster tried to compete with Netflix on price but the running costs of having stores across America and the human resource cost of maintaining those stores means that Blockbuster will always find it difficult to compete solely on the price model. Â  It does not seem that Blockbuster has a good future since analysts from both the business world and the Hollywood entertainment industry consider it to be little more than a zombie about to be killed by modern distribution methods (Epstein, 2006). However, Blockbuster does have an established name in the rental business and it is still a place where individuals can see the choices they have rather than to scroll through the choices.

Final Exam on the Politics of the Developing Worlds Essay

Final Exam on the Politics of the Developing Worlds - Essay Example For example, South Africa is a country that has spent years paying the debts that had been borrowed to maintain the apartheid regime (Beaudet, Paul, and Jessica, 84). Another factor that has caused the Third World Debt Crisis is the mismanaged lending of the 1970s, where the oil-exporting countries had a lot of money during this period and they decided to bank such money in the western banks (Bairoch, 127). The Western countries in turn lend the money to the Third World countries for use in implementing major projects, but the loans were prone to increases in interest rates followed by the global recession that was experienced in the 1980s causing low commodity prices for the Third World countries. This in turn affected their ability to service the debts, thus the increased Third World Debt Crisis (Shah, n.p.). ... s, which forms the major exports for the Third World countries, where the export prices of the primary commodities increased by between 20-40% (Bairoch, 123). This meant a good trade period for the Third World countries, since they could manage to balance the imports with the exports, and in turn be left with some more funds which they could apply towards the repayment of the debts owed to the developed countries. However, in the period after the second world war, the terms of trade for the primary goods deteriorated, which meant that the export prices for the primary goods produced by the Third World countries dropped substantially, thus causing the costs of imports for those countries to be higher than the cost of their exports (Bairoch, 126). The consequence is that the balance of trade deficit increased for the countries, since they could not manage to cover the costs of the imports through the exports they made, and thus they had to seek for alternative ways of servicing the def icit, which eventually forced them to turn into borrowing. This has served to aggravate the debt crisis for the Third World countries even further (Shah, n.p.). The oil price rises of 1973 to 1979 had a devastating effect on the economies of the Third World countries. The oil-exporting countries hiked the prices of the oil they exported to other countries in 1973 (Bairoch, 133). The increased prices of the oil had two major effects on the development of the Third World countries, and the consequent increased debt crisis for the countries. First, when the oil prices for the oil were increased, it meant that the Third World countries had to pay more for importing the oil. This meant that the Third World countries would incur more debts, since they could not manage to cover the costs of the

Causes of the Zika Virus Spread

Causes of the Zika Virus Spread A worldwide epidemic of the Zika virus has plagued the Pacific Islands, the Americas, and some African and Southeast Asiatic countries. Currently, Brazil holds the highest record of Zika virus-positive cases in Latin America which have devasted and terrified the nation. The World Health Organization (WHO), an organization of the United Nations (UN), has announced Zika virus infection as a newly arising disease to be managed and also a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)(Gulland, 2016). In general, Zika virus is a single-stranded RNA virus of the genus Flavivirus which is also related to other flaviviruses such as dengue virus, yellow fever virus, West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis virus (Lanciotti RS, 2008; Scaramozzino, Crance, Jouan, DeBriel, Stoll, Garin, (2001)). Clinical complications namely, the Guillain-Barre syndrome, congenital syndromes, miscarriages, and even death have been correlated with Zika virus infections. Zika virus is not a new virus. In fact, it has been discovered and documented more than 50 years ago. Only recently, it has gained unparalleled attention and has created such global alarm by the global health community.   The first human illness caused by Zika virus infection was first recorded in 1953 in Nigeria (MacNamara, 1954). By September 2015, investigators in Brazil saw an increase in the number of infants born with microcephaly which is one of the clinical complications linked with Zika virus infections. By mid-February 2016, over 4300 cases of microcephaly had been recorded (Victora, Schuler-Faccini, Matijasevich, Ribeiro, Pessoa, Barros, (2016)). The question that now reflects in peoples mind would be, what are the causes of the spread of Zika virus mosquitoes? There are many causes of the rapid dissemination of this virus, but the more major reasons are the carriers of the disease, the abundance of breeding ground, and climate change. Firstly, the main reason for the spread of this virus would most evidently be the mosquitoes infected with the Zika virus. Not all mosquitoes act as carriers but the predominant vector responsible for the spread is the yellow fever mosquito or in scientific terms, the Aedes aegypti mosquito which is also a primary vector for the transmission of dengue throughout the globe. According to Dasti, before the outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil, distribution of Aedes aegypti has been predicted across different continents. Based on the entomological data available, it is shown that high concentration of this species in Brazil might be the main contributor to the outbreak and also the rapid dissemination of Zika virus infection across the country (Kraemer, Sinka, Duda, Mylne, Shearer, Barker, Hendrickx (2015)). Fortunately, the Aedes aegypti mosquito does not tolerate colder climates and is currently limited to tropical and subtropical regions of the globe (Brown, Evans, Zheng, Obas, Barreraà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Martinez, Egizi, Powell, (2014)). There are also other potential species of Aedes mosquitoes which can also transmit the virus such as Aedes furcifer, Aedes metallicus, Aedes africanus, and Aedes hensillican. Another cause of the outbreak is the abundance of breeding grounds which plays a significant role in the reproduction and spread of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which are the primary carrier of the Zika virus. In the past 50 years, there was an explosion in the number of plastic containers which have created an abundance of ideal larval habitat for the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Residents in countries that has little awareness and education about the importance of hygiene and sanitation have taken their cities and towns for granted and have caused their community to be a perfect breeding ground for Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Troncoso has identified several containers such as bottles, bottle caps, buckets, basins, empty tin cans, puddles, pots, barrels with water, containers on the roof to collect rainwater, tanker, used tires, and other artificial containers that can hold water (p. 522). Troncoso has also discovered common city areas with high concentrations of people such as bus stations, p arks, and schools are potential sites for mosquito breeding (p. 522). Breeding sites for Aedes mosquitoes can be found all around the house also. Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lay eggs in water stored containers, which creates the opportunity for breeding. Furthermore, according to Alcides, cemeteries can also be considered as an excellent location for breeding of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Results of over 30 studies from the last decade related to mosquitoes in cemeteries have been published. In general, cemeteries are very suitable habitats for mosquitoes that thrive in artificial containers given the broad availability of sources they need. It is recommended that getting rid of unused containers and daily change water trough for animals and vases can reduce the risk of Zika infection (Ayorinde, Oboh, Otubanjo, Alimba, Odeigah, 2014). Any stagnant water could be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and majority of them are caused by man (Kilpatrick Randolph, 2012; Vasilakis, Cardos a, Hanley, Holmes, Weaver, 2011). Besides that, climate change is a crucial factor that can worsen the spread of the Zika virus. The Zika epidemic further proves that climate change is beginning to affect human health. According to the United Nations (UN), the rise in temperatures enhances the breeding and transmission of the Zika virus. The worsening climate increases the frequency of natural disasters all around the world which can be more devasting to countries with a poorer infrastructure (Troncoso, 2016, p. 521). According to Troncoso, the transmission of infectious diseases such as dengue or Zika is sensitive to climatic situations (p. 521). The ever changing climatic environment which includes temperature, humidity, rainfall, and soil humidity can affect the viruses that are transferred by insects (Brady, Golding, Pigott, Kraemer, Messina, Reiner Jr, Hay, 2014). Warming of tropical and sub-tropical climates has improved the condition for Zika carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to breed. Climate change has ampl ified the health risks of the poorest people, who are vulnerable and in jeopardy from the significant increase in disease by the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Human activities such as massive deforestation and dam construction have caused the extinction of natural predators and changed the biodiversity which has increased the risk of exposure to mosquitoes. Residents of countries which have tropical or sub-tropical climates and have difficult access to health care will suffer the most severe consequences (p. 522) of this disease (Johansson, M. A., Dominici, F., Glass, 2009). Consequently, as Troncoso (2016) confirms, climate changes is a potentially very important factor. that can bring new epidemics of Zika and even the risk of a pandemic worldwide (p. 521). In conclusion, evidence has shown that the outbreak of the Zika virus is the consequence and mistakes of our improper handling in the past, also with the current environmental factors. Unfortunately, the current generation has to suffer the adverse effects of the spread of this disease. Zika virus is a major global health problem that has already spread to different regions on Earth and is anticipated to spread more rapidly given the fact that the virus can be transmitted sexually and by mosquito bites. The global health community has a responsibility to research and develop a solution to solve this problem as we have little knowledge about the virus. For the meantime, people should take extreme precaution when traveling to countries which have significant cases of Zika virus infection. Carrying the disease back home would be the last thing you want to do.

Leadership and Discrimination in Croft Foods Essay -- Business Managem

Leadership and Discrimination in Croft Foods From my understanding Croft Foods have certainly demonstrated clear leadership in rather abstract terms. They have tried to reduce their production costs to an absolute minimum whilst attempting to produce and market as many products as possible. Klaus made effective communications with the employees and established the need to purchase new machinery which may have allowed the factory to work more efficiently and generate more profit. Leadership here was demonstrated by upper management conversing, with the factory floor directly, and making relevant employees aware of future developments, for example the fact that â€Å"further machinery is due to be installed later this year†. By recognizing a need with-in the market to remain competitive, and also delivery through spent time with employees. â€Å"Effective purchasing management and professional buying works better when a good strategic framework exists. Commonly, relationships between suppliers and customers are driven by personalities, or the needs of the moment, whereas relationships and purchasing strategy should ideally be based on a combination of factors reflecting the nature of each purchasing area, including: risk, complexity, value, the market and basic matters of supply and demand† 1 This theory suggests there is a vast array of issues which need to addressed whilst purchasing. There was obviously a need to work more efficiently, create more gross income, and allow employees to work to their optimum. In addition to satisfying the above, employees also felt listened too. Also by remaining distanced at suitable times from the factory floor at times they have been able to concentrate and free up time for other issues that may arise such as possible redundancies. Although the basic concept of these decisions may have necessary; it has all the hall marks of a ‘knee jerk reaction’. The decision to install new machinery without additional training was inevitably going to cause a skills gap and evidently cause a low working morale to sink further. Advice from the machinery supplier could have been sought after to perhaps provide guidance on the new machinery and thus offer advice on employee training. This would have leaded to a more structured and organised approach to productivity as well as improve factory morale... ... and Limitations All employees can expect a fair performance related pay which works on the basis of company loyalty and productivity. Performance related pay will reflect the level of success or decline, which ever is relevant. Employees are expected to speak to the nominated 'team leader' regarding any problems which it would like to be addressed to management in connection with ideas. Management whom are responsible to Managerial Director; must remain diligent to the concerns and welfare of fellow employees never abusing their positions. Stakeholder shares in Croft foods will be awarded on performance and loyalty basis. Senior Management will have their company shares capped. Training Training for all employees will be mandatory. Review These policies will be reviewed on a regular basis in keeping with the interests of every employee at Croft Foods. Bibliography Management and Organizational Behaviour, Prentice Hall, Seventh Edition 2005 by Laurie J. Mullins2 www.businessballs.com/buyingtechniques.htm1 www.womenandequalqualityunit.gov.uk/legislation/equal_pay_act.htm3 www.bized.ac.uk/compfact/mcdonalds/mc15.htm4 www.mcdonalds.com5

Outline and Evaluate Research Essay

Many eyewitnesses are called to testify because they have witnessed a crime, accident or incident. The anxiety if this may cause an affect on the reliability of their EWT. There are two main issues in this question: firstly the prediction of the Yerkes Dodson Law that as arousal increases, then so does performance weather spotting, stage performance, or memory encoding, up to an individual optimum level. However, after this optimum level it is suggested that the performance of the individual will decline, this could be triggered by terror. This theory was supported by Deffenbacher et al’s research. The second issue is the â€Å"weapons focus effect†; In Easterbrook’s research he predicted that attention will narrow to the source of the threat e.g the knife the man is holding therefore peripheral detail is lost e.g the details of the perpertrator’s face. This was supported by Loftus’s laboratory studies in an artificial environment using film and sli des, using independent groups design, where a control conditions showed the participants a similar scene without weapons. In the first group they had a scene which they believed to be a real life violent crime involving a weapon, results showed that the participants remembered the knife in great detail but no other features, such as the perpetrator’s face clothing etc. However the participants in the control conditions witnessed the same person but only in a peaceful situation and the participants were able to recognise the man when given 50 photos. When we examine real life eye witness testimony recall however, there is excellent recall of detail, and the weapons-focus effect was not supported. Yullie and Cutshall (1986) conducted a natural experiment on 13 out of 21 bystanders who had witnessed a violent shooting 4-5 months previously. There recall was detailed and accurate and they were resistant to leading questions months after the event. Therefore, this suggest that bystanders had reached the optimum level ( Yerkes Dodson Law) when they they witnessed the death of the robber who had previously wounded the owner in Vancouver gun shop before the owner killed him. Weapon focus did not influence witness recall. Therefore we need to examine witnesses to the violent crime who faced a weapon rather than a bystander to confirm the effect of weapon focus shown by Loftus. The natural experiment conducted by Christanson and Hubinette (1993) in Sweden re-interviewed 58 witnesses (customers and bank tellers) to bank robberies that occurred around Stockholm in one year. Those witnesses who faced the weapon (bank  tellers) they had better recall and accuracy of the event after a period of time rather than the bystanders. Optimum arousal is suggested but weapon focus is challenged. The ecological validity of this evidence is high although the participants cannot be randomly assigned to the experiment and there is no control condition as there would be in a laboratory experiment. However, Laboratory experiments lack the intense arousal of a real crime so the supposed weapons effect may be the effect of distinct and unexpected events distracting participants to the unusual element in the familiar. A strong point of Loftus’s field experiment and supports the weapon focus effect; is that it has ecological validity and comparison to the control condition provide strong support. A criticism is the inability of researchers fro randomly allocate participants in this study to experimental and control conditions to control individual differences.

NVQ and Competence †Essay Essay

In this supporting paper to the presentation, the purpose, the nature and the advantages and disadvantages of NVQ will be stated and analysed; finishing with a conclusion as to whether to follow a NVQ or not. The definition of an NVQ is â€Å"A statement of competence clearly relevant to work and intended to facilitate entry into, or progression in, employment and further learning, issued to an individual by a recognized awarding body†. A national vocational qualification (NVQ) is a collection of vocational qualifications (previously unstructured), which have been integrated into a single assessment standard. This has been done in order to have a nationally recognised level of academic achievement which enables employees to have a clearer level of each job applicant’s respective competency. Competency can be defined as:- ‘An underlying characteristic of a person which results in effective and/or superior performance in a job’ (Boyatis 1982, p21) Due to the heavy promotion by the Learning Skills Councils, (LSC’s) and the Department for Education and Employment; the majority of vocational qualifications are either part of the NVQ scheme, and in the rare occasion that it isn’t, most commonly when the qualification is of different nature of those offered by the NVQ syllabus, the qualification will have its equivalence identified to its respective, specific, level of the NVQ system in order for those nationwide (familiar with the NVQs) can have more clarity as to where such candidates stand on the level of competency. NVQs have been developed to suit all occupational areas, with each occupational area there are eight levels with the NVQ system to complete to attain ‘full competency’. This is structured in such a way that level one is the most basic and level eight, the most advanced level of NVQ. The ideal situation of training for competence is done by the manifestation of the development of candidates’ abilities to perform the specific tasks which coincide directly with the nature of the job in its respective department, in terms of performance results (grading), with specific indicators. NVQs have originally been developed with the purpose to serve as a reaction to the ‘confetti-scattering’ style of training which is sometimes carried out by some establishments e.g. a company which sends their staff on off-the-job training with just the objective to learn one particular skill. This training style results in the candidates becoming one-dimensional, due to  having a limited knowledge of skills. NVQs have, in fact been developed in order to give these candidates a more rounded knowledge, thus enabling them to be more versatile, efficient in their respective job positions. The design of NVQ has been structured in such a way that in each of the eight levels, there are mandatory and optional roles (or modules); these are comprised of a collection of several units, those of which are to be completed to be able to progress onto the succeeding level. The table beneath can be used in aid to understand the structural layout of each level in NVQ. There are several advantageous principles adopted by the NVQ system. These include:- 1.The NVQ qualifications are open access in the sense that no prior professional attainment or experience, nor qualifications are required, each candidate will be categorised level (1-8) after a means of analysis (be it a test or a review of current skills/ experience currently obtained). 2.The focus-based learning format of the NVQs. Progression from one level to next is based on when the criteria to advance has been met, this can be as quick or long as the individual will take to learn, opposed to other assessment standards where the timescale restricts the learner to learn in its set time. An example of this is that it is impossible to complete a Master’s Degree quicker than in a year. 3.Flexibility is a key aspect of NVQs, as they are not generally attendance based – in conjunction with the focus based learning aspect of the qualification where the learner can take as long/short as they want. This also enables candidates to continue with their respective business demands of their external employment, in conjunction with following NVQs. 4.School Integration is available to the NVQs (GNVQs), this enables candidates to have early access to the hands on approach, which runs alongside other assessment standards (e.g. An alternative run in the same centres as A –levels etc.), thus showing equivalence in value and progression routes, thus giving more viable options to the candidates). 5.Portfolio based work proves to prospective employees that a track record is available showing day to day skills being learnt, thus proving the levels of understanding and competence of each candidate. 6.Prior Accreditation being put into consideration as to which level they will be categorised, enables the candidate to use their  qualifications/experience regardless of where from, as long as relevant (i.e. A-levels, training at work etc., enabling an individual to start in a more advance d level). NVQs also have a few disadvantageous aspects when following their assessment standards, these include. 1.Labour intensive nature of assessment there is a lot of practical work undergone in the NVQs 2.More focus in gaining evidence than actual learning, lack of cognitive learning amongst candidates. As most of the proof (to validate competency level) is done via the production of a portfolio and the presenting of a track-record , this can easily turn into a ‘paper-chase’ rather than the actual focus on the learning processes of the qualification. The also, ‘going through the motion’ nature of the NVQ can also enable the candidate to not be able to reason, simply performing tasks without having true understanding. 3.Quality of assessment can, due to the large numbers of assessors, have a large variance as the marking of each individual can differ. Especially with the different interpretations of some of the jargon developed by the NVQs assessment grading schem es 4.Partial Competence due to selection of optional modules/ reduced definitions and details, as each candidate can choose their modules in the option roles category and each module having different aspects and natures, the candidate may be subject to effectively not gaining an entire knowledge in their respective occupational fields. An example of this would be (referring to table above) where each module has a code which labels the nature of the unit. Take ‘C5’, With C symbolising say, ‘Managing Self and Personal Skills’, one opting out of such a unit, could prove to give them less than the complete set of skills an NVQ could offer, thus lowering competence. To conclude, NVQs are a system devised by the government to help those in various situations, both academically and professionally in order to make them more competent in their respective field in a nationally recognised manner to potential employers. There are a range of advantages and disadvantages to the candidates as well as the employers, such as not having to follow a timescale in learning and also in not receiving a full knowledge due to optional module selection, but as to whether one should be followed  or not, according to the studies that have been carried, out should go hand in hand in the individuals situation.. For instance, one that is currently employed may not be able to dedicate a lot of time to their qualification course, would suit an NVQ whereas, an individual wishing to say, be a medical doctor, a career where having extensive knowledge of their occupational area is vital, would not suit following an NVQ course, where modules are optional and perhaps having re duced knowledge. Bibliography 1.Armstrong,M(2012)Armstrong’s Handbook Of Human Resource Management Practice, 11th edition, Philadelphia: Kogan Page Limited. 2.Hall,L. Taylor,S. Torrington, D. (2008) â€Å"Human Resource Management†, 7th Edition. Pp. 399-407 3.Blosi,W.(2007)An Introduction To Human Resource Management, London: McGraw-Hill Education 4.Marchington,M. Wilkinson, A. (2005) Human Resource Management At Work People and development, London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 5.Lundy,O. Cowling, AG, (1996)Strategic Human Resource Management, London: Routledge